Railroad-clamp.



w. A. CAMPBELL. RAILROAD CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1?. I911- Patented Apr. 2,1918.

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RAILROAD-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

llatented Apr. 2, 1918.

Application filed October 17, 1917. Serial No. 197,115.

To all whomit may concern.-

Be it known that I, l/VnsL-nr A. CAMPBELL, a citizen of the United States, resident of Grand Junction, in the county of Mesa and State of Colorado, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Railroad-Clamps; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention, as applied.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is a detail side view of the clamp body, showing one end bent upwardly and reversely in dotted lines.

Fig. 4C is a detail perspective view of the slip lug.

Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the same before the top thereof is bent upwardly.

The invention has relation to railroad clamps for fastening the rails of railway tracks together transv rsely, having for an object to provide an improved device of especial value in building temporary tracks. Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

The invention consists in the novel con struction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, the numeral 2 designates the clamp body of angular or squared bar form, of suitable dimensions and having an upwardly extending inclined lug 3 forged integrally therewith and including a seat 1 between its bottom and the top of the bar 2, the inner flange of one of the track rails fitting in said seat, and said lug being located intermediately of the length of said bar near one end thereof.

A slip lug 5 is provided with an angular horizontal aperture 6 of square form in cross section, said lug in its initial form being substantially cubical and having a notch or seat 7 in its outer side and within which the inner flange of the track rail at this side is adapted to fit, said seat being formed usually by slitting the top portion of the lug as at 8 and bending this top portion upwardly. This lug 5 is slipped over one end of the bar 2, and this end of the bar then a seat 10 between the bottom of the overturned end and the top of the bar, the outer flange-of the track rail at this side fitting in said seat. The other end of the. bar 2 is permanently straight, and a second slip lug 11 formed similarly to the lug 5, having an aperture 12 and a seat 13 in its inner side, is slipped over this straight end of the bar to engage the outer flange of the track rail. at this side.

A suitable bed for the rails being provided of wooden ties or the like properly ballasted and the track rails laid thereon, the clamp bars are slipped underneath the rails in a direction at right angles to the track, the lug 3 and the bent on d 9 engaging over the rail flanges as stated the latter fitting in the aforesaid seats.

The slip lug 5 is then slid into engagement with the rail flange adjacent thereto and the slip lug 11 slid over the other end of the bar 2 into engagement with the outer flange of the track rail. at this side, with the flanges fitting in the seats as stated.

The slip lugs are secured in position so engaging the rail flanges, preferably by means 01' wedge keys 1 1 engaging vertical perforations 15 of the bar 2 and engaging the sides of the slip lugs opposite to the seats of said lugs, said perforations having tapered sides to correspond with the taper of the keys. The wedge keys being tapped down to force the slip lugs home are bent outwardly at their lower ends. The keys are preferably split keys.

The lug 8, the bent end 9 and the bent tops of the slip lugs engage at their opposing ends 16 with the webs of the rails, the bot toms of the rails resting upon the top sur face of the clamp bar and the lower portions of the slip lugs extending beneath the webs of the rails at 17.

The wedge keys being removed, the clamps may be readily disengaged from the track rails and being strong, durable and well braced with few parts to work loose are capable of use again and again.

The clamps may be used with tracks of narrow gage by heating the ends of the bars and reforging the bent ends 9.

In the use of these clamps very little strain is borne by the spikes securing the rails to the ties, so that any wood available as ties to uphold the weight of the rails and the load to be borne thereby would be sufficient.

The clamps can be assembled to securethe track rails together in comparatively little time, quicker in fact than ties can usually gether transversely, consisting of a bar of square form in cross-section having an inclined lug forged integrally therewith near one end thereof and the opposite end of said bar bent over reversely to form a second in clined lug, said lugs engaging the inner and outer flanges of the respective rails, a slip lug having a horizontal aperture engaging said bar and an inclined top engaging the inner flange of the rail at one SldQ OIE the track, and a slip lug of similar form having an aperture engaging the opposite straight end of said bar and an inclined top engaging in presence of two Witnesses. v

NVESLEY A. CAMPBELL.

WVitnesses:

WM. CAMPBELL, T, A. PICKERING.

Gopies oi this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Eatenta,

Washington, D. 0. I 

